• Your favourite part of the day:
I had plenty actually.
The moments you share with the family are very precious and convivial. They are super welcoming and
makes it so comfortable for you. It really makes a difference in the experience. Best moment with horses was scratching time, made us both very happy.
Then after a morning of hard work there was nothing better than dive-bombing in the natural pool. I also really enjoyed the campo walk. It’s surrounded by nature and some goats running around. You can gaze at the beautiful mountains during sunset when you walk back, but also at the stars if it’s night.Read More
Last but not least, the coolest volunteer ever Marina : my adventure BFF was definitely part of my every
favorite parts of the day. We had a blast doing pretty much everything, she definitely embodied the
Campo spirit. Sometimes we would go on day trips when we had time off and we had soooo much fun. I
made a friend for life.
• Your favourite horse:
Actually, I kinda want to mention every horses because there is a unique and beautiful group synergy
that you can easily feel while watching them. But I owe my girl Calcetines some praise. She’s the biggest horse and she’s soooo pretty. I was pretty in awe of her beauty and elegance. She has also those cute white socks above her hooves. I still remember the first time our eyes locked. She has this really deep gaze with her long eyelashes.
She was the first horse to approach me so I bonded pretty quick with her. The morning when I would arrive to take care of the horses, she would rush to me. Probably for the food but still I choose to take it personally. I took up her force-free/ positive reinforcement training. Being pretty responsive, she understood and learned fast. It was a delight working with her. I miss her a lot.
• What you learnt in other areas:
I learnt the golden recipe of gaspacho. Secret lies in cucumber.
• What you may have learnt around the horses or campo and if that changed you in any way ? Any
personal growth you feel you may have experienced ?
My experience taught me so many things about horses behavior, group dynamic, anatomy, and care. But mostly, it changed my view on the relationship Human-Horse. Beyond learning about horses behavior, I learned about human behavior towards horses. Indeed, it really changed the way I approach a horse, the way I interact with him.
During the internship, I explored the balanced relationship that a horse and a human can have. Not a dominant one but a mutual respectful one. Nothing is done without the horse consent. It’s about respecting their : « No » or « Not now ». It really impressive to see how much horses can express their desires and how respecting them establish a deeper level of trust and comprehension.
Unfortunately, afterwards, it’s even sadder and frustrating when you face horse exploitation in everyday
situation.
• Anything difficult that you feel you worked through ?
I was there during the pandemic, so there were almost no volunteers. At times, I had a lot of tiring tasks
to do on my own, but it felt so rewarding to realize I was able to do it by myself. It granted me a great
self-confidence on my abilities and deepened my experience. Also, they were so many flies during my
time in the campo. It was a struggle to pick up the poo and fight my way around them. But in the same
time it permitted me to spread flies repellent between a horse butt cheeks. Something you don’t get to
experiment often.Their gratitude was real. Finally, the campo is on a hill, so everything you do is on a
slope making it pretty challenging. You leave with a tan and some muscles.
• Any story or experience around the village or with other people ?
When I was in the village during summer, there were multiples activities in the evening such as flamenco
spectacles, zip lining, archery game and many other things. The pool was also open. Pool time is amazing time. Everyone meets at the there and chill. Pretty refreshing, it’s a nice break in your day. Everyone is pretty welcoming in the village if you have a question or anything. It’s a small place so you rapidly recognize faces and know everyone. There is the bar when you can a have beer after a long day and some delicious tapas. The family owner is pretty helpful about everything.
• Comparison of cultures or lifestyles:
Well I was quiet amused by the concept of « siesta » during the day, but I understood and practiced it
pretty quickly because it’s so hot during the afternoon. La siesta is definitely a life-saver. Really
enjoyable. Besides, since people rests during the day : they stayed up late night. It’s really funny because you can
see children running around and elderly people chilling late at night. It makes the village really convivial
especially when there are activities in the center place of the village.